The Devils Tower, an extraordinary mass of igneous
rock, is one of the most conspicuous features in the Bear Lodge section
of the Black Hills region of Wyoming. The tower rises 600 feet above a
rounded ridge of sedimentary rocks, which itself rises 600 feet above
the Belle Fourche River. Its sides are fluted by great columns which
stand nearly perpendicular except near the top, where they round in, and
near the base, where they flare out. The base emerges into a talus of
broken columns lying on a platform of buff sandstone. The whole presents
a never-to-be-forgotten spectacle.

The great columns composing the tower are mostly
pentagonal in shape but some are four or six sided. Each column is about
6 feet in diameter, and the whole bunched together like a bundle of
matches. In places several columns unite in their upper portion to form
a large fluted column. In the lower quarter or third of the tower the
columns bend outward and merge rapidly into massive rock which toward
the base shows little trace of columnar structure. This structure is due
to jointing that develops in igneous rocks as they cool. The diameter at
the base of the tower is about 1,700 feet.

The Devils Tower was useful to the aborigines as a
landmark from which to direct their courses across the plains. The
Indian legend of its origin has it that one day three Sioux maidens
while out gathering wild flowers were beset by three bears. The maidens
took refuge upon a large rock, which the bears were also able to climb
because they had long sharp claws. The gods, seeing the maidens about to
be devoured, caused the rock to grow up out of the ground. As the rock
grew the maidens climbed, but the bears followed. At last, becoming
exhausted, the bears could climb no farther and fell to their death on
the rocks below. The maidens then took the flowers they had gathered and
made them into a rope with which they safely lowered themselves to the
ground below. The columnar structure is supposed to have been caused by
the marks of the bears' claws. The Indians also say that during
thunderstorms the Thunder God beat his mighty drum on the top of the
tower, thus causing thunder.

The white pioneers of civilization later on used the
tower as a landmark in their exploration of the great Northwest. Still
later the military leaders in the Sioux and Crow Indian country during
the Indian wars of the last century directed their marches by the aid of
this ever-present tower, for it is visible in some directions for nearly
a hundred miles.

The area including the tower, 1,152.91 acres in
extent, was made a national monument by presidential proclamation dated
September 24, 1906.

The Devils Tower is reached by a side trip of 7 miles
from the Custer Battlefield Highway and Black and Yellow Trail, two
signed highways, which follow practically the same route through
northeastern Wyoming. The former is a direct route to Glacier National
Park, the latter to Yellowstone National Park. Moorcroft, 35 miles
distant, on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, is the
nearest railroad point. The nearest settlement is Carlile. A fine camp
ground, shelter cabin, and pure spring water are provided at the
monument for the tourist. Inquiry regarding the road approach to the
monument should be made by the tourist in near-by towns.

Access to the tower at all times has been made
possible through the construction by the National Park Service of a
bridge across the Belle Fourche River.